Sunday
Morning Bible Study
November
20, 2016
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken
hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
Is the church loved? Regular: 2900
words Communion: 2500 words Video=75wpm
Luke was a doctor and a traveling
companion of the apostle Paul.
He wrote this book while Paul was
in prison.
In writing this book about Jesus,
Luke made use of other older documents like the Gospel of Mark, as well as
extensive eyewitness accounts.
This Thursday we will not be having services because of …
Jesus’ ministry is well under way, and the people have been amazed not just
at the things He’s been teaching, but the things He’s been doing.
Jesus has just taught on the importance of humility before God.
He told a parable about a self-righteous
Pharisee and a humble tax collector praying to God in the Temple.
God heard the one that was humble.
If you want to do some extra work, check out Matthew 19:13-30 and Mark
10:13-31. They will parallel our passage today.
18:15-17 The Children
This next story is also found in
Matthew 19:13-15 and Mark 10:13-16.
(Matthew 19:13–15 NKJV) —13 Then
little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them
and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus
said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such
is the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And He
laid His hands on them and departed from there.
(Mark 10:13–16 NKJV) —13 Then they
brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples
rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when
Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the
little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom
of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to
you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no
means enter it.” 16 And He took them up in
His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.
:15 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but
when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
:15 they also brought infants to Him
brought … to – prosphero
– to bring to, lead to.
The verb is an “imperfect” tense,
meaning that this was a continual thing.
This wasn’t a “one time” occurrence.
infants – brephos – an
unborn child; a new-born child
I wonder if it might be possible that even pregnant women came to have
Jesus lay their hands on their unborn baby.
:15 that He might touch them
might touch – haptomai
– to fasten one’s self to, adhere to, cling to; to touch
Matthew records that the parents wanted Jesus to pray for their children
(Mat. 19:13)
(Matthew 19:13 NKJV) Then
little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them
and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.
Mark says that Jesus “blessed” the children (Mark 10:16)
(Mark 10:16 NKJV) And He
took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.
:15 when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them
rebuked – epitimao
– chide, rebuke, reprove
Also an imperfect tense, continual
rebuking.
Perhaps the disciples thought that Jesus shouldn’t be bothered with little
children. Perhaps they thought He was
too important for that.
Mark tells us that Jesus was “greatly displeased” at what the disciples
were doing. (Mark 10:14)
(Mark 10:14 NKJV) But when
Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased …
:16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children
come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.
:16 Let the little children come to Me
called them to – proskaleomai
– to call to; to call to one’s self; to bid to come to one’s self
Let – aphiemi
– to permit, allow, not to hinder, to give up a thing to a person
little children – paidion
– a young child, a little boy, a little girl; infants; children, little
ones
forbid – koluo
– to hinder, prevent forbid; to withhold a thing from anyone; to deny or
refuse one a thing
of such – toioutos
– such as this, of this kind or sort
Lesson
Kids
Some of us can get kind of grouchy when it comes to children.
Some of us have been heard saying…
Jesus looks at kids differently than W.C. Fields.
He wants children to know Him and come to Him.
This is why we do “Baby Dedications” at church. As a church we pray over the children and ask
God to bless them. From the earliest age
we want God to be a part of their lives.
Though we do not see anywhere in Scripture about children being baptized,
we do see Jesus telling us to bring the children to Him.
This is also why “Children’s Ministry” is such an important part of our
church. We don’t want to just provide “babysitting”,
we want to teach the kids and help them to learn to come to Jesus.
The Bible says,
(Deuteronomy 6:6–7
NKJV) —6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall
teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in
your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
Illustration
The late J. Edgar Hoover was once
asked, “Should I make my child go to Sunday school and church?” His reply was
both Scriptural and practical. “Yes,” said the former head of the FBI, “you
certainly should, and with no further discussion about the matter. You may be
startled by my answer, but what do you say to Junior when he comes to breakfast
on Monday morning and announces he isn’t going to school anymore? You know! He
goes! How do you answer him when he comes home covered with mud and says, ‘I’m
not going to take a bath.’ Junior bathes, doesn’t he? Why all this timidity,
then, in the realm of spiritual guidance and growth? You say you’re going to
let him wait and decide what church he wants to go to when he is old enough?
Quit your kidding! You wouldn’t wait until he’s grown up to choose whether he
wishes to be clean or dirty, would you? Do you let him decide for himself
whether to take medicine when he’s sick? Do you? How shall we respond, then,
when Junior says he doesn’t want to go to Sunday school and church? That’s
easy! Just be consistent. Tell him, ‘Son, in our house we ALL go to Sunday
school and church, and that includes you!’ Your firmness and example will
furnish a bridge over which youthful rebellion will then travel into many rich
and satisfying spiritual experiences.”
:17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as
a little child will by no means enter it.”
:17 receive the kingdom of God as a little child
Assuredly – amen
– firm; metaph. faithful; verily, amen; at the beginning of a
discourse-surely, truly, of a truth
receive – dechomai
– to take with the hand; to take hold of, take up; to take up, receive; to
receive or grant access to, a visitor, not to refuse intercourse or friendship;
of the thing offered in speaking, teaching, instructing; to receive favourably,
give ear to, embrace, make one’s own, approve, not to reject; to receive. i.e.
to take upon one’s self, sustain, bear, endure
little child – paidion
– a young child, a little boy, a little girl; infants; children, little
ones
Lesson
Like a child
What is it about children?
Kids are …
Trusting – a child tends to be
trusting of others. We need to trust
Jesus.
Humble – a person who thinks
they are more important than a child has a lot to learn.
Loving – a child knows how to
put their arms around your neck and hug without being embarrassed.
Pure – a child has pure motives,
they haven’t had their minds polluted by the gross things of the world.
For some people, these qualities are just too difficult. They can’t let go of their pride. They can’t let go of their sin. They don’t want to trust anyone but
themselves.
If you want to be saved, you are going to need to be these things.
18:18-27 The Rich Young Ruler
A parallel version of this story is
found in Matthew 19:16-26; Mark 10:17-27
(Matthew 19:16–26 NKJV) —16 Now
behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do
that I may have eternal life?” 17 So He said
to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is,
God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18
He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not
commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’
19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.’ ” 20 The young
man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still
lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be
perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when
the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great
possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to His
disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of heaven. 24 And again
I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished,
saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus
looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with
God all things are possible.”
(Mark 10:17–27 NKJV) —17 Now as He
was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him,
“Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” 18
So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No
one is good but One, that is, God. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not
murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor
your father and your mother.’ ” 20 And he
answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my
youth.” 21 Then Jesus, looking at
him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell
whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;
and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” 22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had
great possessions. 23 Then Jesus
looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have
riches to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the
disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to
them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the
kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a
camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God.” 26 And they were greatly
astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?” 27
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it
is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
:18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do
to inherit eternal life?”
asked – eperotao
– to accost one with an enquiry, put a question to, enquiry of, ask,
interrogate; to address one with a request or demand; to ask of or demand of
one
Teacher – didaskalos
– a teacher; in the NT one who teaches concerning the things of God, and
the duties of man
Good – agathos
– of good constitution or nature; useful, salutary; good, pleasant,
agreeable, joyful, happy; excellent, distinguished; upright, honorable
ruler – archon
– a ruler, commander, chief, leader
life – zoe –
life; the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate; life real
and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the
portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after
the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect
body), and to last for ever.
eternal – aionios
– without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be;
without beginning; without end, never to cease, everlasting
inherit – kleronomeo
– to receive a lot, receive by lot; esp. to receive a part of an
inheritance, receive as an inheritance, obtain by right of inheritance; to be
an heir, to inherit; to receive the portion assigned to one, receive an
allotted portion, receive as one’s own or as a possession; to become partaker
of, to obtain
:19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good
but One, that is, God.
:19 Why do you call Me good?
call – lego
– to say, to speak; affirm over, maintain; to call by name, to call, name
good … good – agathos
– of good constitution or nature; useful, salutary; good, pleasant,
agreeable, joyful, happy; excellent, distinguished; upright, honourable
no one – oudeis
– no one, nothing
No Jewish rabbi was ever called “good”.
The word “good” was reserved only for God.
Jesus could be saying that He wasn’t “good”.
Or He’s saying…
Lesson
Jesus is God
Jesus is a bit vague here, but on purpose.
He wants the man to think about what he just said.
So the man wants to know what he must do to gain eternal life…
:20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not
murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father
and your mother.’ ”
:20 You know the commandments
You know – oida
– to see; to know
the commandments – entole
– an order, command, charge, precept, injunction; a commandment
Jesus is going to quote from the Ten Commandments, but he’s not going to
quote all of them. (see Exodus 20)
The Ten Commandments were originally written by God on two stone tablets.
The first stone tablet dealt with the four commandments concerning our
relationship with God, like not having idols, and honoring God on the Sabbath.
What Jesus will quote is from the second stone tablet, the laws that deal
with our relationship with each other.
There should be six commandments mentioned, but Jesus only lists five of
them.
:20 Do not commit adultery
commit adultery – moicheuo
– to commit adultery.
Adultery is breaking your marriage
commitment, or helping someone else to break their marriage commitment.
This is the seventh of the Ten
Commandments
:20 Do not murder
murder – phoneuo
– to kill, slay, murder.
This is the sixth of the Ten
Commandments.
:20 Do not steal
steal – klepto
– to steal; to commit a theft; take away by theft i.e take away by stealth.
This is the eighth of the Ten
Commandments
:20 Do not bear false witness
Though this is literally talking
about giving false testimony in a trial, it’s basically about lying.
bear false witness – pseudomartureo
(“false” + “witness”) – to utter falsehoods in giving testimony, to testify
falsely, to bear false witness.
This is the ninth of the Ten
Commandments
:20 Honor your father and your
mother
Honor – timao
– to estimate, fix the value; to honour, to have in honour, to revere,
venerate.
This is the fifth of the Ten
Commandments
When you look at the second “table” of the Law (Ex. 20:12-17), Jesus
skipped a commandment.
He skipped the 10th Commandment, “You shall not covet”.
Coveting is greed. It’s all about
wanting something that someone else has, whether it’s your neighbor’s house,
wife, or possessions.
I think Jesus has skipped this commandment on purpose.
He is targeting the area that this man is struggling with.
:21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
:21 I have kept from my youth
all – pas –
individually; each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things,
everything; collectively
I have kept – phulasso
– to guard; to watch, keep watch; to guard i.e. care for, take care not to
violate; to observe
youth – neotes
– youth, youthful age
We have no reason to believe that this man is being anything but sincere.
We know that Jesus looks at the
commandments differently than we do, equating lusting after a woman with
committing adultery, and equating hating another person with murder.
But Jesus isn’t going to challenge
the man on these things.
:22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing.
Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure
in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
:22 Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor
lack – leipo
– to leave, leave behind, forsake, to be left behind; to lag, be inferior;
to be wanting, to fail
all – pas –
individually; each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things,
everything; collectively
sell – poleo
– to barter, to sell
distribute – diadidomai
– to distribute, divide among several; to give over, deliver
poor – ptochos
– reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms; destitute of wealth, influence,
position, honour; helpless, powerless to accomplish an end; poor, needy
treasure – thesauros
– the place in which good and precious things are collected and laid up; a
treasury; storehouse, repository, magazine; the things laid up in a treasury,
collected treasures
come – deuro
– of place, hither to this place; in urging and calling, here! come!
follow – akoloutheo
– to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him; to
join one as a disciple, become or be his disciple
Lesson
Remove the obstacles
The real issue is following Jesus.
This man’s “stuff” is keeping him from following Jesus.
Selling all your “stuff” isn’t something that Jesus requires of every
person who follows Him, but it was what Jesus required of this man.
Jesus would meet and impact a wealthy tax collector named Zacchaeus,
(Luke
19:8 NKJV) Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half
of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false
accusation, I restore fourfold.”
Jesus didn’t correct him and say, “No, I want you to give
everything to the poor”. He didn’t need
to.
What’s keeping you from Jesus?
It could be your pride.
Perhaps you think that Christians aren’t very smart and
you don’t want to be identified as “stupid”.
It could be a relationship.
There may be people in your life that are keeping you from
following Jesus.
It could be your sin.
You are reluctant to give up your sin.
If you are going to be serious about following Jesus, you will need to face
the things that are keeping you from Him.
:23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
:23 for he was very rich
Here is where we’re told he’s rich.
Matthew is the one who calls him “young” (Mat. 19:20,22)
Earlier Luke called him a “ruler” (Luke 18:18)
young man – neaniskos
– a young man, youth
He’s kind of like some who fall into the category we call …
very sorrowful – perilupos
(“around” + “sorrow”) – very sad, exceedingly sorrowful; overcome with
sorrow so much as to cause one’s death
(Mark 6:25–26 NKJV) —25 Immediately
she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at
once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the
oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.
(Matthew 26:36–38 NKJV) —36 Then Jesus
came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit
here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He
took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful
and deeply distressed. 38 Then He
said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and
watch with Me.”
rich – plousios
– wealthy, abounding in material resources
very – sphodra
– exceedingly, greatly
:24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it
is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!
:24 How hard it is for those who have riches
very sorrowful – perilupos
(“around” + “sorrow”) – very sad, exceedingly sorrowful; overcome with
sorrow so much as to cause one’s death
hard – duskolos
– with difficulty
from duskolos – hard to find agreeable food for, fastidious about food;
difficult to please, always finding fault; difficult
riches – chrema
– a thing, a matter, affair, event, business; spec. money, riches
Don’t think Jesus is disgusted at this guy.
Mark records it this way:
(Mark 10:21 NKJV) Then Jesus,
looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack…”
:25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for
a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
:25 a camel to go through the eye of a needle
it is easier – eukopoteros
(“good” + “labor”) – with easy labour; easy
camel – kamelos
– camel
eye – trumalia
– a hole, (eye of the needle)
needle – rhaphis
– a needle
Video: Nevsky Church map
In Jerusalem, there’s a Russian Orthodox church located just around the
corner from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (one of the possible locations
where Jesus might have been crucified and buried).
The church is called the Church of Saint Alexander Nevsky.
You pay the nuns at the door a few shekels, and they allow you into the
church. You go down a hallway, turn
right, then go down a steep staircase where you go through a Byzantine
arch. You go through the arch, turn
left, go down another hallway, and you will find an ancient Roman gate, dating
back possibly to the time of Christ.
Some suggest this might be the “judgment gate”, where Jesus was led outside
of the city to be crucified.
Just to the left of the main part of the gate is a much smaller opening, shaped
something like a keyhole.
The idea was to allow entrance into the city at night after the main gate
is closed and locked up. The hole is
just small enough for a single person to pass through. It was not big enough for a man on a horse,
or a camel. (the picture shows it’s hard for a man named Rich to get through
the eye of the needle)
Robertson: The Talmud twice speaks
of an elephant passing through the eye of a needle as being impossible.
If this is an example of the “eye of a needle”, then the idea that Jesus is
hinting at is that for a camel to come through the eye of the needle, it will
be very difficult.
If the camel is going to get through, it’s going to have to be a small
camel, and it’s going to have to ditch the load it’s carrying.
It’s not impossible for a rich man to get into the kingdom, but if he does,
he may need to off-load all the junk he’s carrying.
Lesson
The problem with wealth
Your “junk” might keep you from getting through the gate.
Jesus needs to be more important than your wealth. What does that look like?
(1 Timothy 6:17–19
NLT) —17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to
trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who
richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to use their money to do
good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always
being ready to share with others. 19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good
foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.
God can use wealthy people just like He can use poor people. Wealthy people need to be careful that they
haven’t learned to trust in their wealth rather than in God.
:26 And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”
:26 Who then can be saved?
can be – dunamai – to be
able, have power; to be capable, to be possible
saved – sozo
– to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction; to
save in the technical biblical sense
People had this idea (some still do) that being wealthy was a sign that God
was on your side.
Some thought that if anyone was going to be saved, a wealthy person would
be.
Mark records that the disciples were “astonished” and “greatly astonished”
at what Jesus was saying. (Mark 10:24, 26)
(Mark 10:24–27 NKJV) —24 And the
disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to
them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the
kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a
camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God.” 26 And they were greatly
astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?” 27
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it
is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
:27 But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible
with God.”
:27 impossible … possible with God
The words “impossible” and “possible” are both forms of the word translated
“can be” (dunamai) in vs. 26.
impossible – adunatos
– without strength; unable to be done, impossible
possible – dunatos
– able, powerful, mighty, strong; to be able
You might translate this verse, “The things which can’t be with men, can be
with God”
Lesson
Anyone can be saved
You might get the idea that you must “do something” like give away your
money in order to be saved.
The real issue isn’t what you do, but who you trust.
Jesus is asking the man to give away his money because
that’s what’s keeping him from trusting in Jesus.
Every human has the same problem – we are all sinners.
We have all done wrong things.
The only way to be saved is to deal with the problem of our sin.
That’s what God did when He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross. He died to pay for our sins.
Isaiah wrote,
(Isaiah
53:5 NKJV) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for
our iniquities; The
chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
(2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we
might become the righteousness of God in Him.
For a person to be saved, they need to trust in Jesus.
They need to trust in Jesus to pay for their sins.
They need to trust in Jesus more than all their money.
(Romans 3:20–22
NLT) —20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law
commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. 21 But now God
has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements
of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.
22 We are made
right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for
everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
18:28-30 Rewards
Matthew and Mark also record this
conversation in Matthew 19:27-30 and Mark 10:28-31
(Matthew 19:27–30 NKJV) —27 Then Peter
answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore
what shall we have?” 28 So Jesus
said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son
of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit
on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father
or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a
hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30 But many who
are first will be last, and the last first.
(Mark 10:28–31 NKJV) —28 Then Peter
began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” 29
So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to
you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or
mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, 30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and
brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and
in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who
are first will be last, and the last first.”
:28 Then Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You.”
we have left – aphiemi
– to send away; to leave, go way from one
all – pas –
each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything
Some manuscripts have the word,
“our own” (Greek idios) here. Thus the NAS translation,
(Luke
18:28 NASB) And Peter said, "Behold,
we have left our own homes, and followed You."
followed – akoloutheo
– to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him; to
join one as a disciple, become or be his disciple
:28 we have left all and followed You
Peter seems to be reminding the Lord that he and the other disciples have
done the very thing Jesus has asked the Rich Young Ruler to do.
It’s hard to tell if Peter is just
wondering about these things, or if he isn’t trying somehow to pat himself on
the back.
:29 So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has
left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the
kingdom of God,
:30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the
age to come eternal life.”
:29 left house or parents or brothers …
Assuredly – amen
– firm; verily, amen
has left – aphiemi
– to send away; to leave, go way from one
house – oikia
– a house
parents – goneus
– fathers, parent, the parents
brothers – adelphos
– brother
wife – gune
– a wife
children – teknon
– offspring, children
for the sake – heneka
– on account of, for the sake of, for; for this cause, therefore
Notice that Jesus has shifted from giving up “wealth”, to giving up
relationships.
Except for possibly Matthew the former tax collector, the disciples weren’t
particularly wealthy men.
But they still had to give up something when they decided to follow Jesus.
Jesus is reminding them that they had to give up important relationships
when they chose to follow Him.
For most of the disciples, they had
to give up important relationships, ones that would have kept them from
following Jesus.
Jesus had said,
(Luke 14:26 NKJV) “If anyone
comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children,
brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
Lesson
Giving up
Nothing should be more important in
your life than following Jesus.
Nothing should come between you and
Jesus.
For the rich young ruler, it was
about giving up his wealth.
For some of the disciples, it was
about giving up on relationships that would turn them away from following
Jesus.
:30 who shall not receive many times more
receive – apolambano
– to receive; of what is due or promised; to take again or back, to
recover; to receive by way of retribution
many times – pollaplasion
(“much” + “weaved together”) – manifold, much, more
present time – kairos
– due measure; a measure of time, a larger or smaller portion of time,
hence:; a fixed and definite time, the time when things are brought to crisis,
the decisive epoch waited for
age – aion
– for ever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity; the worlds,
universe; period of time, age
to come – erchomai
– to come
life – zoe –
life; the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate; of the
absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical
eternal – aionios
– without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be;
without beginning; without end, never to cease, everlasting
The word translated “world” and
“everlasting” are forms of the same word. To get the same sense as the Greek,
you could translate it, “who shall receive much more in this time, and in
the age to come, ageless life”
Lesson
The Great Giver
We might read about the Rich Young Ruler and become obsessed with how much
we might need to give up to follow Jesus.
The truth is, what God will give you in return will be much more than you
could ever give up for God.
Mark records Jesus saying,
(Mark 10:30 NKJV) who shall
not receive a hundredfold …
Sometimes we will receive God’s blessings in this life.
You may need to “give up” a brother to follow Jesus.
Yet when you come to church you will find yourself surrounded
with brothers.
Some blessings we won’t receive until we get to heaven.
You simply can’t out-give God.
Hannah
Hannah promised to give to God her
child if God would give her a baby.
She kept her
promise, and when Samuel was born and weaned, she brought him to the Tabernacle
and gave him to God. He was raised from that point at the Tabernacle to serve
the Lord for the rest of his life.
She said at that time:
(1 Samuel 1:27–28 NKJV) —27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 28 Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there.
But it didn’t end there. God ended
up giving her far more than she could have given to Him.
(1 Samuel 2:21 NKJV) And
the Lord visited Hannah, so that
she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile the child Samuel
grew before the Lord.
Illustration
A Brother Like That!
A man named Paul received a new automobile from his
brother as a pre-Christmas present. On Christmas Eve, when Paul came out of his
office, a street kid was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. “Is
this your car, Mister?” he asked. Paul nodded, “My brother gave it to me for
Christmas.” The boy looked astounded. “You mean your brother gave it to you,
and didn’t cost you anything? Gosh I wish.....” He hesitated, and Paul knew
what he was going to wish. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But
what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels. “I wish,” the boy
went on, “that I could be a brother like that.” Paul looked at the boy in
astonishment, then impulsively he added, “Would you like to ride in my
automobile?” “Oh, yes, I’d love that!” After a short ride the urchin turned,
and with his eyes aglow said, Mister, would you mind driving in front of my
house?” Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted
to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a fancy automobile. But Paul
was wrong again. “Will you stop right where those steps are?” the boy asked. He
ran up the steps. Then in a little while, Paul heard him coming back, but he
was not coming fast. He was helping his little polio-crippled brother. He sat
down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up right against him and pointed
to the car. “There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother
gave it to him for Christmas, and it didn’t cost him a cent, and someday I’m
gonna give you one just like it; then you can see for yourself all the pretty
things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about.” Paul
got out and lifted the little lad into the front seat of his car. The
shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a
memorable holiday ride. That Christmas eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when
He said, “It is more blessed to give....”
The street kid wasn’t just impressed with the gift, he was impressed with
the giver. He too wanted to be a great
giver.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians,
(2
Corinthians 8:9 NKJV) For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was
rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might
become rich.
When we look at what Jesus has done for us by dying on a
cross, and we see what He will do for us in eternity, there should be no reason
why we can’t give up the things that keep us from following Him.